ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a quantitative method to predict the durability of abrasion barriers. It discusses a protocol to measure the abrasion parameters of straight pipe sections. The abrasive slurry carried in the pipeline erodes away the protective inner barrier while leaving the structural plies. It takes a long time for the erosive action to advance through the protective barrier and reach the structural plies. The rate of thickness erosion measures the performance of the protective barrier. There is a striking similarity in the analysis of the durability of the corrosion and abrasion barriers. The abrasion barriers consisting of hard ceramic granular fillers like silicon and tungsten carbide, in combination with resilient resin matrices, offer the best solution. However, knowing the best materials combination is hardly enough to estimate the abrasion life. The protective oxide layers of the metallic pipes wear away quickly in abrasive service, exposing unprotected material to a fast and aggressive combination of erosion and corrosion.
